Holyoke police arrest a man immediately after he is believed to have shot a man in the head

HOLYOKE – A gunman shot another man in the head and the back and then attempted to shoot a police officer before he was apprehended at about 2:20 p.m. Monday, police said.

The shooter, identified by police as Louis Rivera, 24, of 96 Congress St., Holyoke, is believed to have attacked a man who was sitting in his car near the intersection of North Bridge and Mosher streets, Police Capt. Alan G. Fletcher said.

When running away from the scene, the shooter ran into a Holyoke Gas and Electric Company worker who was working on the street. He pointed the gun at the worker, who alerted a nearby police office who was directing traffic at the work site.

“He tried to shoot him but the gun didn’t go off and the cop chased him,” Fletcher said.

Patrolman Manuel Rivera, who did not realize there had been an earlier shooting, tackled him when he ran into a fence that he couldn’t jump over, Fletcher said.

The shooter has been arrested, he said. Police say they identified Louis Rivera as the shooter because he left his knapsack in the victim's car. He is being charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

The victim was brought to Baystate Medical Center by ambulance with life-threatening injuries, Fletcher said.